B.B.King - The RPM Hits 1951-1957 (1999)

RPM Hits 1951-1957 is a first-rate summary of the cream of the first few years of B.B. King's career, the 26 songs all taken from 1951-1957 singles on the RPM label. Though relatively few of these have survived down the years to become famous standards or oldies, they were incredibly successful in their time; 18 of them were R&B hits, and another couple scraped into the bottom of the pop charts. "Three O'Clock Blues" and "Sweet Little Angel" are a couple of King's most famous tunes, but there are plenty of other ballads and shuffles here that made their mark in their day, like "You Know I Love You," "Woke Up This Morning" (how's that for titling a hit after one of the most overused blues clichés?), "Please Hurry Home," and "You Upset Me Baby." These are quite fully produced R&B arrangements for the era, with roadhouse piano and fat horns rounding out the punch. King's stinging guitar and vocals, both less prone to drawn-out phrasing than his crossover soul-blues work of the '60s and '70s, are at the forefront. It's true these tracks have been around the block a few times on other reissues, but these have been remastered, often from newly discovered masters, to yield a quality of sound you won't always find on reissues of '50s blues and R&B.

Tracklist:

1. Three O'Clock Blues (3:02)
2. Please Love Me (2:51)
3. You Know I Love You (3:06)
4. Woke Up This Morning (2:58)
5. Story From My Heart & Soul (2:58)
6. Please Hurry Home (2:45)
7. Bad Luck (2:54)
8. You Upset Me Baby (3:03)
9. Whole Lotta Love (3:10)
10. Every Day (I Have the Blues) (2:50)
11. Sneakin' Around (3:02)
12. Ten Long Years (2:49)
13. Crying Won't Help You (3:00)
14. I Want To Get Married (2:51)
15. Sweet Little Angel (3:14)
16. Troubles, Troubles, Troubles (2:56)
17. I Need You So Bad (2:57)
18. I Wonder (2:50)
19. Be Careful With a Fool (2:52)
20. (I'm Gonna) Quit My Baby (2:34)
21. On My Word of Honor (2:56)
22. I'm Cracking Up Over You (2:52)
23. Shut Your Mouth (2:42)
24. Did You Ever Love a Woman (2:35)
25. Blind Love (3:02)
26. When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer (2:54)